I Am the Gate for the Sheep

 “He explained it to them: ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.’”John 10:7 (NLT)

Jesus had healed a man who had been blind from birth. It doesn’t matter that the man had been healed, it mattered that Jesus had healed him on the Sabbath. His neighbors who had seen him be healed carried him to the Pharisees. The Pharisees were confused. Jesus couldn’t be from God if He broke Jewish law and healed on the Sabbath, yet how could a sinner perform such a miracle? The Pharisees, and other religious leaders then decided that the man must have not been blind from birth. So, they found the man’s parents and questioned them.

When Jesus heard of the uproar that proceeded from this man’s healing, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” (John 9:35, NLT) The man confessed that he did not, but he wanted to believe. Jesus then tells the man that He came to give sight to the blind, and to show those that think they can see that they are actually blind. His comments angered the Pharisees, who had overheard Him.

This is the context in which we find ourselves as Jesus tells His listeners “I am the gate for the sheep”. Out in the fields, pens were often created for sheep. The pens had an entrance but no gate. The shepherd became the gate. He would lay across the threshold so that nothing could come into the sheepfold or go out. Jesus is saying that He is the Messiah. He is the only way to God. He will protect, and lay down His life for His people. Jesus then contrasts His role as the gate to that of a thief and a robber. The terms “thief” and “robber” represent deception and stealing instead of giving life. He is essentially saying that He is not like the Pharisees. The Pharisees were walking in spiritual blindness and therefore, they were acting as a false shepherd. 

An open door is a metaphor for an opportunity, a path forward. Jesus is the open door. He is the only path forward that leads to life. In verse 10, Jesus says, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life”. (John 10:10, NLT) The Greek word used to describe this rich and satisfying life is the word, perissos. It is a mathematical term that means “over and above, more than is necessary, superadded” (Blue Letter Bible) Jesus doesn’t just give us what is required. He gives us over and above what we need. 

The problem is that often we try to find satisfaction, and life in things apart from Jesus. We can try to seek to earn a salvation that can only come from Him. We try to make ourselves worthy by what we do rather than resting in Him. We forge our own paths instead of walking in the way He has provided. He is the gate. His way is enough, and a rich and satisfying life is waiting on the other side.

Scripture Reading: John 9:1-10:10